lake association welcomes new president … · make sure your membership is up to date. not a...
TRANSCRIPT
Joan (Joni) Norman was recently
elected president of the Lake
Latoka Property Owners
Association (LLPOA). Joni was
previously a board member. Joni
and her husband Howard have
been property owners on Latoka
for 30 years. Joni retired from her
job as a Douglas County Public
Health Nurse in 2006 after 28
years of employment. Joni loves
traveling, being in the water-in a
tube with a good book, boating, reading, and
nature. Joni and her husband had two children,
Bryan and wife, Christy, and their two sons
live in Woodbury, MN. Their daughter Brenda
died at 16 years old in a car accident. She
loves sharing her lake property with her family
and friends and hopes that for generations to
come we will pass down this tradition with a
lake that is still as clean as it is today. She has
always been concerned with the quality of
Lake Latoka. As a property owner
she understands that we all have a
responsibility to do what is best for
the health of the lake. Joni has seen
many changes over the last 30 years.
Lake Latoka went from a relatively
undeveloped lake to one of the most
developed in Douglas county. With a
high population density comes more
problems and concerns. The goals of
this new president are to keep and
always try to improve the condition of
the lake and lake shore. A large and new
challenge will be dealing with zebra mussels
and other invasive species that are threatening
many Minnesota lakes.
She truly hopes all property owners share her
passion of Lake Latoka and that all will do
their part to keep it a wonderful place to live
and play.
Lake Association Welcomes New President
Bruce Luehmann and Doug Kuelbs have been elected to the
Lake Latoka Property Owners Association Board (LLOPA).
Bruce and Pam Luehmann moved from Cedar Falls, Iowa to
Alexandria and Lake Latoka in October 2013. Bruce retired
after nearly 40 years with John Deere Company. Earlier in his
career, Bruce and Pam lived in Detroit Lakes. They knew they
would like to return to the lake country in retirement. They
have two sons, twin grandsons, and a third grandson due in
September. Bruce enjoys golfing, fishing, cruising the lake, and
travel. Bruce agreed to serve on the LLPOA board to become
more familiar with issues related to lake property management
and help everyone work together to keep Lake Latoka a quality
place to live. Bruce is looking forward to meeting other Lake
Latoka property owners and working together with them.
Doug and Rita Kuelbs have been property owners on
Latoka since 2010. They moved to the lake fulltime in
January 2014 when they retired from farming in
Southwestern Minnesota. Doug enjoys catching the elusive
Latoka walleyes, (cont. p. 2)
Two New Board Members Elected at Annual Meeting
September 2015
A Publication of the
Lake Latoka Property
Owners Association
Letter from the President 2
Zebra Mussels
Fall Picnic
New Directory
Secchi disk Readings
3
Boat Parade
Bridge Update
4
Fall Leaves
Ice Fishing Etiquette
5
Annual Minutes 6
Ice Safety
Board Members
7
Inside this issue:
Joni Norman
golfing, boating, and riding bike on the Central Lakes Trail.
Doug decided to join the board to get involved in the lake
community and because of his commitment to help protect and
preserve the quality of the lake.
Outgoing members are Natalie Johnson and Greg Peterson.
Natalie served on the lake board for four years. Greg has
served on the board for seven years, four of those as the
president. Greg will continue to serve as Fishing Committee
chairperson. LLOPA is greatly appreciative of the efforts of
these past board members.
Other changes include: Terry Orpen- Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency (MCPA) Water Quality Control Monitor,
DNR Lake Level Gauge Reader and MPCA Secchi Disc
Reader. Gary Deick- MPCA Water Quality Monitor.
Doug Ahrenstorff-Greeter for Little Latoka.
Chris and Amber Block- 4th of July Parade Coordinators.
Rita Kuelbs-Newsletter Publisher.
Greg Peterson-Fishing Committee Chair.
Vern Lorsung has recently stepped down from Water Quality
Monitor but is still a Douglas County Lakes Association
(DCLA) representative, and Gary and Glenna stepped down
from the coordinating the 4th of July parade. Thanks to these
volunteers for their many years of service!
If you wish to get involved, the lake association is always in
need of volunteers. Contact one of your board members or
email the association at [email protected].
Lake associations are organized groups of people who come
together because they care about their lake. Considering joining
LLOPA to help protect the water quality and ecological
integrity of the lake. By protecting the lake, you are also
protecting your valuable lake property. Your association dues
of $25 annually can be mailed to: Lake Latoka Property
Owners Association, PO Box 102, Alexandria, MN 56308.
New Board Members (Cont. from p. 1)
It is up to all of us to be diligent when it comes
to the stewardship of the lake.
I’m sure you have noticed that our newsletter
has taken on a new look. I’d like to thank Rita
Kuelbs for volunteering her time in creating
this. She will continue to publish our
newsletter and would welcome input from lake
owners as to what they would like to see in
coming issues. The newsletter comes out once
in the spring and once in the fall.
Welcome to all the new property owners on
Latoka. We hope you will join many of your
neighbors and become Lake Association
members. Our annual picnic is coming up on
Saturday, September 12, everyone on the lake
is welcome to attend. It’s held at the Firemen’s
Lodge Hall at the resort on Firemen’s Lodge
Road. The picnic starts at 11:30 AM.
If there are issues on the lake that you believe
need the attention of the board, please contact
me or any board member. We all need to be
advocates of the lake!
Joni Norman, President
From the President
I hope everyone has had an enjoyable and safe
summer. It’s always hard to see it coming to
an end. With the ending of one season, a new
one begins, and each season on the lake has its
own beauty.
As your new lake association president, I
would like to thank Greg Peterson, our
previous president for the last four years, for
his time and commitment. He leaves me big
shoes to fill. I’d also like to welcome our two
new board members: Doug Kuelbs and Bruce
Luehmann. I’ll look forward to serving
with the entire lake association board and
its members.
As property owners, we put the greatest stress
on the lake, hence we share the responsibility
of caring for it so all people can enjoy it. The
LLOPA is the eyes and ears for
regulatory groups such as the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources, Douglas
County Land and Resource and Minnesota
Pollution Control. Lake associations can often
identify issues and report them before it
becomes a larger problem.
Page 2
It is up to all of us
to be diligent
when it comes
to the stewardship
of the lake.
Photo by Rita Kuelbs
Page 3
Zebra Mussel Update
As of August 2015 there have been no new
reports of zebra mussel in Lake Latoka. The
lake was officially designated as infected in
2013. Since being put on the infested lake, the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) has received no further findings of them
in Latoka. According to Mike Bolinski, Aquatic
Invasive Species Specialist with the DNR, a
August dive will take place to see if any more
are detected. As of this publication date, the
dive has not yet been done.
Once zebra mussels explode in a lake they can
cause many problems for lakeshore residents.
They can attach to boat motors and boat hulls,
attach to rocks, swim rafts and ladders where
swimmers can cut their feet and hands on the
mussel shells. Zebra mussels will also clog
irrigation intakes and other pipes.
It is important to follow all
recommendations for decontamination of
your boat. In Minnesota, you must take the
following steps to prevent the spread of
zebra mussels: clean weeds and debris from
your boats and remove any attached zebra
mussels, drain your boat, live wells, and bait
wells, keep all drain plugs out while
traveling, dispose of unwanted bait in the
trash. Dry docks, lifts, swim rafts and other
equipment for 21 days before placing
equipment into another body of water.
The DNR would like Lake Latoka
property owners to call if you find zebra
mussels on your dock or lift this fall. Watch
for updates in our spring newsletter.
Many zebra mussels attached
to a native mussel. (Photo DNR website)
MN DNR Contacts:
Mike Bolinski- 218-739-7576,
ext. 259 or
Mark Ranweiler- 218-739-7576,
ext. 245.
New Lake Latoka Directory The Lake Latoka Property Owners Association is currently
working on updating our lake directory. Sue Orpen works
diligently, year around, updating the changes of ownership on
the lake. In order to have the directory as complete and correct
as possible, we ask that you contact Sue if you have changes in
ownership, address, or phone numbers. Her phone
number and email are listed on page seven of this newsletter.
The last directory was published in 2011. Due to increases in
printing and postage costs, only paid association members will
receive the new edition. To ensure you receive a new directory,
make sure your membership is up to date. Not a member?
Membership dues are accepted year around. Your dues can be
mailed to: Lake Latoka Property Owners Association,
PO Box 102, Alexandria, MN 56308.
September 2015 Lake Association Picnic Saturday, September 12, is the Lake Latoka Property Owners
Association potluck picnic. The picnic is open to all property
owners on Lake Latoka. The Lake Association will provide
the grilled hamburgers, buns, eating utensils, and beverages.
Please bring a casserole, salad, or dessert to share. The picnic
is held at the Firemen’s Lodge Hall at the resort on Firemen’s
Lodge Road starting at 11:30 AM.
It’s a great time to meet new people on the lake, visit with friends
and neighbors, and meet your Lake Latoka Property Owners
Association board members.
Do you have new neighbors? Considering asking them to attend
the picnic with you. Traditionally 50-60 property owners attend.
Secchi Disk Readings by Terry and Sue Orpen Seven Secchi Disk readings have been done since the ice went
off Lake Latoka in April. A Secchi Disc is a plain white,
circular disk twelve inches in diameter used to measure water
transparency. Each time, we take two readings in the big lake
and one in the little lake, all at the deepest locations. The first
readings in the big lake were 11’ and 11.5’ in April and
improved up to 21’ on 6/25/2015, which is a wonderfully high
reading for our lake. It has since started to drop, which is
normal. The little lake has been off this year. he April reading
started at 7’ and always stayed well below the big lake. The
6/25/2015 reading was 11’ which was 10’ less than the big lake
on the same date, which was disturbing. This could possibly have
been due to two major shoreline projects that were taking place
on the little lake. The little lake has once again improved, and the
last reading was 19’, which we were very glad to see. Let’s work
to keep Lake Latoka’s clarity readings up!
4th of July Boat Parade
Page 4
New Bridges Slated for I-94 over Latoka
Those in attendance at the April Lake Latoka
Property Owners Association (LLPOA)
Annual Meeting learned about a future I-94
highway project that will impact Lake Latoka.
Brian Bausman, Minnesota Department of
Transportation (MnDOT) District 4 Project
Manager, spoke to the group about the project
to replace the I-94 bridges that cross over Lake
Latoka. Both the westbound and the eastbound
bridges will be replaced. One will be done in
2018 and one in 2019.
During the construction period, the respective
west or eastbound lanes will be closed, and
traffic diverted to the other side and reduced to
two lanes. The channel between the lakes is
expected to remain open through most of the
project, however there could be periods when
it will be necessary to close it to boat travel for
a few days.
Bausman contacted the LLPOA Board and
requested the opportunity to speak at the
meeting. MnDOT is in the very early stages of
planning this large project. In addition to
proactively communicating to the property
owners, MnDOT is interested in knowing what
is important to them as they design the bridge
specifications. The primary request voiced at
the annual meeting was to increase overhead
clearance for boats with canopies.
Bausman stated that the grade of the highway
will be raised which will help increase the
under bridge clearance. However some of the
increase may be offset by larger beams that
will be used.
Other requests that the LLPOA Board has
submitted are to maintain the channel water
depth for boat passage and to look at
opportunities for noise mitigation. Bausman
does not believe that water depth will be
impacted and stated they will look into
potential options that may reduce noise levels.
The MnDOT District 4 office in Detroit Lakes
is working with the St. Paul office on the total
project design. Bids for the project are
scheduled to be let in the fall 2017 with
construction beginning in the spring 2018.
The LLPOA is very appreciative that MnDOT
proactively reached out to provide early
communication on this project to Lake Latoka
property owners and to seek owners’ input.
Brian Bausman has already asked to attend the
2016 LLPOA Annual Meeting and provide a
project update. If you have any further
suggestions, please contact a LLPOA
Board member.
The Chad and Sheila Swanson family, decked out their pontoon and
entire family to show off their red, white, and blue!
(Photo submitted by Sheila Swanson)
This year the 4th of July
Boat Parade was
coordinated by Chris and
Amber Block, residents of
Little Latoka.
Approximately 20 boats
participated. The
Canadian forest fire haze
didn’t dampen the spirits
of participants or the
spectators. Stayed turned
for next year’s parade.
It’s promised to be even
bigger and better! Chris Block: The 2015 Boat
Parade Coordinator
(Photo submitted by Chris Block)
New bridge
construction
scheduled to begin
in spring 2018.
Photo by Rita Kuelbs
Page 5
Leaves: Keep Them Out of the Lake
harming sport fishing and overall lake
enjoyment. And for those who burn their
leaves, please remember, the ashes from
burning leaves are very high in nutrients, so
please keep the ashes out of the lake as well.
Douglas County Land and Resource, as well as
the DNR have very specific regulations on
this matter. Please consult their websites to
learn more. Burning Permits from the DNR
are required.
You need an open burning permit when:
the fire is more than 3 feet high and 3 feet in
diameter. the ground is not completely covered by a
minimum of 3 inches of snow. the fire is not contained in either an approved
burner or in a cooking or heating device such as
charcoal grill or camp stove.
According to the DNR website, reports of
pollution or littering in public waters should be
reported to your local DNR conservation
officer, Minnesota Pollution Control.Agency
or county sheriff.
Dumping your leaves in the lake may have
serious, negative side-effects on the water. The
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) highly discourages individuals from
dumping leaves and grass clippings
into a lake, river, or wetland. This is because
leaves have nutrients similar to fertilizer. They
contain high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium. When leaves are naturally
blown into a lake from trees on a shoreline,
a lake can handle the influx. But when many
lake residents dump hillsides full of leaves
into a lake, it can upset the natural ecological
balance, especially in areas of high population
density.
When too many leaves are dumped into a lake,
it can cause an excessive amount of algae
growth. Some algae can release toxins that
might harm humans, animal life, and fish. But
even with non-toxic algae blooms, as the
overabundance of algae dies, it decays, causing
bacteria to use up the oxygen in the water. This
can kill fish and other aquatic life, ultimately
The Minnesota DNR
highly discourages
individuals from
dumping leaves and
grass clippings into a
lake, river, or wetland.
Photo by Rita Kuelbs
Ice Fishing Etiquette by Greg Peterson
We are cognizant of our distances and never encroach the other
houses. Be mindful of your neighbor’s personal space. A good
fish battle could result in a couple of tangled lines with no one
catching a fish. Once again, there are no laws on how far apart
you have to be, but we separate out of respect for our
fellow anglers.
Here are a few more dos and don’ts:
Keep the noise level down. Even if you paid extra for satellite
TV and a fancy stereo system, your neighbors and the fish might
not want to hear them.
Watch the dog. Fido can fall down a very cold, very wet hole if
you let him run free on the ice. I’ve also had fish stolen by dogs
in the past, not to mention what a male dog did on my
tip-up once.
Try to set up before prime time if you are close to others.
It doesn’t bother me too much, but I assure you if you start drill-
ing holes right at sunset and you have others around who you
don’t know, they’ll be complaining about the noise scaring
away the fish.
Clean up after yourself. Leave the ice just as you found it- free
of trash.
It may a bit early to talk about ice fishing, but pretty soon the
leaves will be changing, the water will turn over and then it’s
hard water time!
There are many laws that we have to abide by, the most
important being possession limits and size limits. Remember
possession limits include the fish you have at home in your
freezer! But what about ice fishing etiquette? What are the
things people on the ice occasionally do that really bother you
and make you wonder, “Where is their common sense?”
One of the things that’s happened to me and my friends is, after
we drilled a bunch of holes for the purpose of moving around
and locating fish, someone drove right up in a truck and started
fishing out of the holes we had drilled and planned on using. It
would seem like if you looked at predrilled holes you would ask
first before using them. Most people ice fishing get along just
fine, but it would be nice if they had asked.
In the location where I fish, we just have a few houses and year
after year we end up in our favorite spots and respect where the
other house will eventually go. We don’t set up ours where we
know our neighbors will eventually be.
2015 Annual Meeting Minutes
Page 6
Lake Latoka Property Owners Association Annual Meeting
Saturday, April 25, 2015, at the LaGrand Town Hall
President Greg Peterson welcomed the 51 members present.
Board members present: Greg Peterson, Joni Norman, Natalie
Johnson, Eric Nelson, Doug Ahrenstorff, and Myrna Hunt.
Absent: Barbara Peterson and Harvey Kranzler.
Jim Stratton, our county commissioner, was the first guest
speaker. Topics he covered were: solar and wind energy, cellular
towers (placement), state of the county hospital, Andes Tower
Hills may be given to county (Insurance may be an issue), AIS
(training, decontamination)—Goal “Help us do this”, and rental
properties (Health Dept and Land and Resources are working
together). Members encouraged him to get something in place
for the county—set a target date.
Deputy Notch from the Sheriff’s Department addressed water
patrol issues. He brought their new boat. They have two trucks,
four boats, dive boat, and a flat bottom boat. They patrol every
source of water in the county. Put out 150 to 200 buoys—50#
cinder blocks. Stated the current regulations.
Dick Bromley, a town board member who lives on the lake,
updated us with road information. Last summer Beach Road was
the big project. Do a big project every other year. Our township
is 36 square miles, 60 miles of road, population 4,185, and 1712
households, with about a million dollar budget. Our township
owns good equipment to do the job.
Brian Bausman, Project Manager, MnDOT, District 4, was our
last speaker. He is project manager for the I #94 bridge
replacement project to be done in 2018 and 2019. He wanted our
input- regarding the height – was told it needs to be higher for
pontoons. Plan to raise the profile one foot but may be offset by
larger beams. Will have concrete beams. Members wonder if the
pilings will come out.
Minutes were approved as written.
Treasurer’s report accepted as printed.
Committee Reports: DCLA- Vern Lorsung was unable to attend.
Greg told about the sediment pond being cleaned up this
summer on the west side of lake. Permission was given by Gary
Deick to county for access for this project.
Water Quality Monitoring: info included with today’s agenda.
Gary Deick volunteered to help Terry Orpen with the readings.
Myrna Hunt gave an update on Native Planting at North access.
Planting was done last July. We had adequate volunteers. The
plants will be labeled. We’ve worked with Fergus Falls DNR
office to get the south access graded and graveled, shrubs along
the Beach Road were removed completely, and we worked with
them on the garden. They sent a letter of appreciation.
Sue Orpen reported that they get information to new residents
as soon as they can.
Larry Anderson reported on the Tent Caterpillar Project on
Latoka Drive and Firemen’s Lodge Road. They have it all
organized, with a letter coming out.
Newsletter: Rita Kuelbs volunteered to help with it.
Discussion about the survey done last summer.
Election of Board Members: Bruce Luehmann and Doug Kuelbs
were elected to board. Approved. Greg Peterson and Natalie
Johnson terms expired.
Door prizes were given out during the meeting.
Refreshment were served.
Respectfully Submitted, Myrna Hunt, Secretary
Storm clouds to the southwest
as the sun was setting on
Lake Latoka.
June 20, 2015
Photo by Rita Kuelbs
When is Ice Safe? There really is no sure answer. You
can’t judge the strength of ice just
by its appearance, age, thickness,
temperature, or whether or not the
ice is covered with snow. Strength
is based on all these factors -- plus
the depth of water under the ice,
size of the water body, water
chemistry and currents, the
distribution of the load on the ice,
and local climatic conditions.
There is no such thing as
100-percent safe ice.
New ice is usually stronger than old ice. Four inches of clear,
newly formed ice may support one person on foot, while a foot
or more of old, partially thawed ice may not.
Ice seldom freezes uniformly. It may be a foot thick in one
location and only an inch or two just a few feet away.
Ice formed over flowing water and currents is often
dangerous. This is especially true near streams, bridges and
culverts. Also, the ice on outside river
bends is usually weaker due to the
undermining effects of the
faster current.
The insulating effect of snow slows
down the freezing
process. The extra weight also reduces
how much weight the ice sheet can
support. Also, ice near shore can be
weaker than ice that is farther out.
Booming and cracking ice isn’t
necessarily dangerous. It only means
that the ice is expanding and contracting as the
temperature changes.
Schools of fish or flocks of waterfowl can also adversely affect
the relative safety of ice. The movement of fish can bring warm
water up from the bottom of the lake. In the past, this has opened
holes in the ice causing snowmobiles and cars to break through.
(Reprinted from www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/)
Page 7
Lake Association Volunteers
Lake Association Board Members President: Joni Norman 2706 Latoka Lodge Road SW 320-762-2794 [email protected]
Secretary: Myrna Hunt 1118 Fireman’s Lodge Road 320-762-1420 [email protected]
Treasurer: Harvey Kranzler 1231 W. Latoka Drive SW 320-763-9763 [email protected]
Barb Peterson 555 W. Latoka Drive 320-762-8719 [email protected]
Eric Nelson 1514 Fireman’s Lodge Road SW 320-219-7396 [email protected]
Doug Ahrenstorff 3766 Iona Way SW 320-763-4300 [email protected]
Bruce Luehmann 633W Latoka Drive SW 320-219-7617 [email protected]
Doug Kuelbs 1092 Fireman’s Lodge Road 507-227-2718 [email protected]
MPCA Water Quality Control Monitor, DNR Lake Level Gauge Reader and MPCA Secchi Disc Reader:
Terry Orpen [email protected] 320-762-1708
MPCA Water Quality Monitor: Gary Deick [email protected] 320-762-2538
Douglas County Lake Association Representative: Vern Lorsung [email protected] 320-763-3892
Greeter for Big Lake Latoka and Data Base Manager for Mailing List: Sue Orpen [email protected] 320-762-1708
Greeter for Big Lake Latoka: Karen Cook [email protected] 320-762-8188
Greeter for Little Latoka: Doug Ahrenstorff [email protected] 320-763-4300
Fishing Committee Chair: Greg Peterson [email protected] 320-759-7226
Email Correspondents: Pat Jepsen and Tony [email protected]
North and South Sign Box Coordinator: Joan Akkerman [email protected] 320-759-1557
Newsletter Publisher: Rita Kuelbs [email protected] 507-227-0902
4th of July Parade Coordinators: Chris and Amber Block 651-307-7663
Lake Latoka Property Owners Association
PO Box 102
Alexandria, MN 56308
“The Lake Latoka Property Owner’s Association
(LLPOA) is organized to encourage wise use and pres-
ervation of Lake Latoka in order to maintain the deli-
cate ecological balance between the lake and adjacent
shore lands. The association will coordinate and lead
environment efforts to provide government and regula-
tor liaisons, promote education and public awareness,
and be the advocacy of Lake Latoka regarding lake
shore issues.”
latokaassociation.org
Look us up for updates and
important links.
Contact Us:
Please help us keep our lakeshore ownership list up to date. We need your information for sending out the newsletters, compiling
new Lake Latoka directories and for sending welcome representatives to new lakeshore owners.
Please contact Sue Orpen at:320-762-1708 or [email protected] or Pat Jepsen at [email protected] if you:
Own a vacation home on Lake Latoka, but have changed your home mailing address.
Have sold your property on Lake Latoka.
Know of any property that has changed hands on the lake.
Have changed phone numbers and/or email address.
Help Us Stay Current
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Mission Statement